Thermal management in electronic devices presents critical issues. High heat environments generally degrade the performance and efficiency of electronic devices, resulting in higher power consumption. Additionally, the heat generated by the devices can cause the environment around them to have higher temperatures, requiring more energy to cool them. For entities desiring to obtain efficiencies ratings, such as the EnergyStar® endorsements, the management of the heat becomes a critical issue.
One approach to thermal management uses thermal insulators in the devices to absorb and contain the heat generated by the devices. Aerogels perform very well as thermal insulators. An aerogel generally consists of a manufactured material derived from a “gel”, but where air or other gas replaces the liquid component of the gel. The resulting aerogel solid has very low density riddled with nanopores near the mean free path of air molecules, trapping them, stopping heat transfer (or other energy transfer) between them. It generally feels dry and rigid to the touch, but has very high effectiveness as a thermal insulator. Silica based aerogels in particular make very efficient thermal insulators as they are 95-99.8% air and the remainder is the silica nanostructure.
Aerogels generally perform better after application of a vacuum prior to heat sealing the insulation ‘bag’ or container. However, vacuum sealing aerogel-based insulation often fails. Upon application of the vacuum, the aerogel produces particles that enter the vacuum stream and contaminate the heat seal. The resulting heat seal either does not seal or will not hold upon usage. While one could use the insulating materials without using a vacuum, these materials work far more effectively if they undergo a vacuum